Climate change is the defining challenge of our time. Without immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors, limiting global warming to 1.5°C will be beyond reach. Climate change also poses a direct existential threat to many UN Member States. In line with the Security Council's recognition that climate change can aggravate existing threats to international peace and security; act as a driver of conflict; represent a challenge to the implementation of Council mandates; and endanger the process of consolidation of peace, our shared goal is for the Security Council to address those issues related to the risks and adverse effects of climate change that are relevant to its mandate to maintain international peace and security. Objective data and careful analysis of climate change-related risks and impacts should inform and shape the Council’s responses to situations on its agenda.
We, Albania, France, Gabon, Ghana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, have pledged to focus on the implications of climate change for international peace and security amongst the priorities of our respective terms as members of the Security Council, including through our Presidencies, in order to advance a systematic, responsive, pragmatic, comprehensive, and evidence-based approach to climate, peace and security.
To drive forward mutual understanding and commitment within the Council to address climate, peace and security, where appropriate and relevant, we pledge to:
- Convene at least one Security Council meeting, in thematic or geographic format, addressing topics relevant to climate, peace and security during our respective terms;
- Enhance cross-Presidency planning to ensure coherence, continuity, advancement, further development, and increased efficiency on the theme;
- Request the inclusion of climate change and conflict analysis as a cross-cutting theme in UN briefings to the Council;
- Invite and support the participation of briefers with climate, peace and security expertise in Security Council meetings, inter alia, on specific contexts to share their experiences regarding the implications of climate change in their work on the ground, including briefers from affected countries to draw on the impacts of and risks associated with climate change on peace and security in their contexts;
- Highlight the importance of supporting comprehensive risk assessments and risk management strategies related to climate change, peace and security;
- Strive to integrate language on climate, peace and security in Security Council products;
- Seek opportunities to publicly highlight the Councils linkages to climate, peace and security-related issues, including by holding geographic or thematic 'press stakeouts’;
- Draw attention to, share, reflect and follow up on the recommendations and issues raised in Council meetings on climate, peace and security related issues;
- Highlight the fact that climate change is disproportionally affecting the security of women, youth, and people in vulnerable situations, as well as their critical role in improving resilience to and mitigating the effects of climate change on peace and security, and encourage briefings on the gendered impact of climate change in their briefings;
- Work in close collaboration with national governments as well as regional and sub-regional organizations and other local actors, associated with situations on the Council’s agenda, to address the impacts of climate change on peace and security in specific contexts.
- Integrate views and exchanges on climate and security issues during field trips of the Security Council;
- Encourage the UN to support UN Missions, including peacekeeping operations and special political missions, to minimise their carbon footprint in the contexts that they operate in and increase environmental management actions, when consistent with their mandates;
- Foster evidence-based dialogue and promote common understanding among Council Members about the most effective ways of addressing the impact of climate change on peace and security, including human security; and
- Highlight the work of the Informal Expert Group of the Members of the Security Council on Climate and Security, as well as work with the Group of Friends on Climate and Security;
We welcome new pledgers and will review this document as necessary, to renew the pledgers’ approach to this initiative as the Council continues to address the growing issue of climate change and its evolving nature on international peace and security.